So tarantulas don't LEARN, right? Well what IS THIS?

[Sharno]

My juvie geniculata, formerly "half legs henry" (who now has ALL 8 legs after a good molt!) is living in a deli cup. It's a big of a commotion to remove the lid. Like all my geniculatas, he is a GREAT eater.

When I remove the lid, which causes a "pop" and a little jiggle even if I try to be gentle, it gives him a jolt. Then there is a period of time where I get the tweezers and and go get a cricket. I have noticed that by the time I return, he's often putting down a web "mat" -- that process they usually do AFTER they capture prey.

Ok - so does he know that prey is coming? Because of the removal of the lid? You know how some tarantulas always put down a mat of web after they capture - and my genics have always done this.

OR -- do some tarantulas put down a little bit of web on the ground as a stress reaction? I could buy that, except that the tarantula always takes the cricket immediately, no hesitation. I would think if it was stressed it would not be interested in eating.

I would swear he knows that the cricket is coming after the lid commotion. But that require a few brain cells too many, I think. Any thoughts?

 

[Smokehound714]

All spiders are capable of learning, they'd have gone extinct long ago if they were stupid.


It's not the size that matters, it's the complexity. Take the jumping spider genus Portia, for example: These jumpers have been proven to have a strong memory, complete with advanced problem-solving; They will not only learn and mimic the way other spiders walk on their webs (not limited to species, either!), but they will also take long detours to surprise their prey. And they're TINY. At max size, they generally are a mere 6-8 mm of body length! While they are by no means as smart as salticidae, tarantulas are nonetheless capable of learning. They DO remember certain vibrations, however they dont have a strong memory span.

If you handle them often, at least once a day, they obviously remember you and calm down, but if you lapse on this and leave them alone, they forget and become more defensive. They aren't impressively smart, but they're certainly not dumb. They have been shown to be intelligent enough to score holes in thin material to make it easier to tear open.

 

[newspidermom]

I think they learn to an to a certain extent. I know within about 15min of going into my T room I can look around the room and most Ts that were casually resting will be vertical against the front side of their enclosures so when I look around the room all I see is a bunch of underbellies....lol. It seems so synchronized it's comical. I'm guessing they sense they might get fed? Not sure the reason but it's cool. They remind me of begging dogs....lol

 

[BobGrill]

They don't learn in the same way that humans and primates do. They're not exactly problem-solving intelligent, but they aren't entirely without intelligence either.

 

[Emotionlessness]

I would like to bring up a T constantly climbing to the top of a mesh tank and getting his leg stuck in it over and over again.

 

[Curious jay]

I would like to bring up a T constantly climbing to the top of a mesh tank and getting his leg stuck in it over and over again.

That's down to the idiocy of the owner not the tarantula it likely feels the heavy airflow and thinks its a way out of its enclosure.


As for the OP my Hapalopus sp. 'Columbia' large will often set down large amount of webbin in a frenzy when a prey item is slightly to large they will try and seal themselves away from the threat or deter it by using makeshift web curtains.

 

[Academic1740]

This actually sounds like it could possibly be a case of classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, which is interesting because this is probably not well documented (empirically) with Theraphosidae, if at all. However, this may only be the case because they are not actively being studied on a large scale by any academic endeavors that I am aware of.

If it is a case of CC, whether or not he actually "knows" or "understands" the prey is coming is a matter of some debate, but it would mean that he is conditioned (i.e. there is a memory association) between a certain stimulus (opening the lid of his container) and a certain response (in this case, a food item).

You can search up classical conditioning to see what I mean.

Also, regarding your comment about requiring a few neurons (brain cells) too many, I do not believe that this would be the case (although I do not know off hand the amount of neurons that tarantulas generally possess), as there has been empirical evidence and experimentation done on various types of simple learning occurring in animals that probably possess fewer neurons than tarantulas generally do. For reference, you can search up "desensitization" in the aplysia (sea slug).

Furthermore, it is worth bearing in mind that there are different types of learning, some more advanced than others, that require different and varying neural mechanisms and systems. The case of classical conditioning is different than other types of learning, and it is not like the type of learning that humans exhibit when learning the more complex things that they do (though humans can be classically conditioned as well). Therefore, you may think of your tarantula as learning, but you should not consider this in the same sense that you would consider learning in its more commonly thought of sense of "comprehension" and "understanding," as these are different.

I hope that this helped to give insight into your question, even if it is not an exact answer.

If you would like more information about the neural mechanisms of learning and memory, feel free to send me a reply.

 

[Poec54]

True spiders quickly learn to live, or build webs, close to outdoor nightlights to catch insects. Artificial lighting hasn't been around that long, so I don't think it's genetic; each generation figures it out. For their size, tarantulas have large brains, so they're certainly capable of learning when it comes to finding prey. Arboreals are probably the most intelligent, as they have more a more complex way of life, and many more perils to face. They have to be very alert, as the ground is a long ways down.

 

[Kazaam]

Some of my spiders web around when I open their lid even though this doesn't always mean I'm going to feed them, they're probably just securing themselves to the substrate incase they're up for a bumpy ride.

 

[BobGrill]

This actually sounds like it could possibly be a case of classical (Pavlovian) conditioning, which is interesting because this is probably not well documented (empirically) with Theraphosidae, if at all. However, this may only be the case because they are not actively being studied on a large scale by any academic endeavors that I am aware of.

If it is a case of CC, whether or not he actually "knows" or "understands" the prey is coming is a matter of some debate, but it would mean that he is conditioned (i.e. there is a memory association) between a certain stimulus (opening the lid of his container) and a certain response (in this case, a food item).

You can search up classical conditioning to see what I mean.

Also, regarding your comment about requiring a few neurons (brain cells) too many, I do not believe that this would be the case (although I do not know off hand the amount of neurons that tarantulas generally possess), as there has been empirical evidence and experimentation done on various types of simple learning occurring in animals that probably possess fewer neurons than tarantulas generally do. For reference, you can search up "desensitization" in the aplysia (sea slug).

Furthermore, it is worth bearing in mind that there are different types of learning, some more advanced than others, that require different and varying neural mechanisms and systems. The case of classical conditioning is different than other types of learning, and it is not like the type of learning that humans exhibit when learning the more complex things that they do (though humans can be classically conditioned as well). Therefore, you may think of your tarantula as learning, but you should not consider this in the same sense that you would consider learning in its more commonly thought of sense of "comprehension" and "understanding," as these are different.

I hope that this helped to give insight into your question, even if it is not an exact answer.

If you would like more information about the neural mechanisms of learning and memory, feel free to send me a reply.

I agree, this sounds a lot like some form of conditioning, but IMHO, it is not a fair way to measure intelligence. I love tarantulas as much as everyone else here does, but i feel like some people try to give theirs too much credit when it comes to intelligence. Not to get too off-topic, but I feel like it may be a situation in which a lot of people want to feel like their spiders are in some way special and unique, much like every parent wants to feel like their child is in some way special to them. Not saying that there's anything wrong with this, but I feel like these situations have more to do with how the owner perceives the behavior of their animal, rather than the animal itself.

 

[Poec54]

I feel like some people try to give theirs too much credit when it comes to intelligence.

To me, I don't necessarily think people are overestimating their spider's intelligence, as much as projecting human emotions to them. These animals are not looking for companionship and to bond with humans. That's where it gets ridiculous.

 

[Jones0911]

True spiders quickly learn to live, or build webs, close to outdoor nightlights to catch insects. Artificial lighting hasn't been around that long, so I don't think it's genetic; each generation figures it out. For their size, tarantulas have large brains, so they're certainly capable of learning when it comes to finding prey. Arboreals are probably the most intelligent, as they have more a more complex way of life, and many more perils to face. They have to be very alert, as the ground is a long ways down.

You got that right, the hardest things I always have to do is trying get an aboreal out of a catch cup because their feet stick to the inside like crazy glue